Dream Big, Right? A British Independence Day

Two years ago, almost to the day, I was in London speaking at the same conference I am speaking at this week.  A few hours after the talk, I received this email with the subject heading “Dream Big, Right?”

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Hi guys, especially AJ.

I was at the conference in London yesterday and have been inspired so much that I want to bounce the essense of my dream vs perceived boundaries to see what your lowdown is.

Bio: I am a disabled guy, used an electric wheelchair since 3 yrs old. had ups and down like all people but with the odd extra complication due to access to places and attitudes of some less cool people. nonetheless I have a degree in economics and MA marketing, work full time for a disability charity and while single now I have had my share of beautiful girls. a normal life right…

In working for and understanding disability more broadly I love and hate my job. The vision is perfect = equality for disabled people, but I get frustrated at methods and restrictions of large corporate sign off style situations. I have had all sorts of ideas of doing this my own way but have been refining the messages, mediums and worrying around business models and so on.

Then I saw AJ and basically thought this is do-able. My vision is also equality for disabled people but in laymans terms where everyone gets involved in all different way. I’ll tell my story, get the tribe online and in the end give info, funds and empowerment to disabled people trapped in poverty and inequality.

Key question is beyond a website, some blogs, pictures, videos and possibly some broader stories with monetary needs, how does one make a social business to pay your own rent and satisfy the cause and morality?

Best wishes and thanks so much for inspiring me to really start thinking about this. It will happen, just a question of when.

Martyn

The next day

I met Martyn at a Starbucks in central London.  From the second I met him, there was no doubt in my mind that this guy was going to change the world.  Since that meeting,  I’ve basically put Misfit, Inc behind whatever he does.

It’s now two years later.  Almost to the day.  And today Martyn is celebrating his very own Independence Day.  He just left his job, is fully self employed, is living out his dream and is empowering disabled folks all over the world.  I cannot express how happy I am.  What was once a fantasy is now his life.

Lesson 1

Don’t ever discount the power of sharing your dream with others.

Lesson 2

Sometimes people are inches from remarkable.  If you can be the one to give them a little lift. Do it.  In the end, your life will be measured by what you gave not by what you accumulated.

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